No workers available; Kerala women plantation owners 'tap' opportunity, turn Rubber Board-trained tappers, save money

At 50, Kollam native Sheeba N decided to learn latex harvesting herself after a labour shortage left her 200 rubber trees unattended for nearly a year. She later became a certified rubber tapper after training with the Rubber Board of India and is among a growing number of women entering rubber tapping in Kerala, a traditionally male-dominated job.

“My husband was working in the UAE. I managed other farming activities but depended on tappers for our rubber trees,” Sheeba said. She learnt the entire process, from collecting and coagulating latex to pressing it into sheets and rain-guarding rubber trees. She now manages tapping their trees while also handling other farming activities and household chores.

Her husband, who has since returned from the UAE, accompanies her when she heads out to tap at 6 am. “This is an additional income. My sister-in-law has also learned tapping and is doing it now,” she said.

The Rubber Board launched Pro-Women Training Programmes on Latex Harvest Technology in 2022 as part of its gender-budgeting initiatives, and the labour shortage has also encouraged more women to take up the work.

At Pattazhi in Kottarakkara, 50-year-old Ambili took up tapping after being inspired by her husband, who is a tapper. She runs a tailoring unit and decided to take up tapping as an additional source of income six months ago.

“I leave home around 3 am with my husband and tap 200-250 trees a day. I used to assist him earlier, but after becoming a certified tapper, I took it up as a job. I also do rain guarding,” Ambili said. She receives the same wages as male tappers and is able to attend to her tailoring work in the afternoon.

The training programmes are conducted by the National Institute for Rubber Training (NIRT), Puthuppally, through its regional units in association with Rubber Producers' Societies. Around 40 such programmes are conducted in Kerala every year, according to Rubber Board chairman N Hari.

Each batch has 15 women, who receive a daily stipend of ₹100, food and training tools. On completion, they receive a certificate and tapping kit after passing written and practical tests.

According to Deepthi, an assistant officer at the Rubber Board's Pathanamthitta regional office, many small rubber holdings in districts such as Kottayam and Pathanamthitta go unattended because owners or their family members are away or working elsewhere. Hiring workers is often not financially viable for small-scale growers, prompting housewives to take up tapping.

“Many women say they can combine tapping with household responsibilities and earn an additional income. More than 80% of those who complete the training continue rubber tapping, either on their own holdings or as daily-wage workers.” Deepthi said. “Some women have sought training despite their husbands' opposition and even asked me to convince them that they are capable of tapping rubber,” she added.

Priya Varma, director of NIRT, said 102 batches of the eight-day pro-women training programme were conducted during 2025-26, training 1,607 people in latex harvesting, nursery management and budding techniques. The programmes are also conducted in northeastern states.

The Rubber Board also provides welfare and financial assistance to women growers and aspiring tappers, including marriage, maternity and education assistance for their children. “Many people are still unaware of these schemes. We are trying to reach more people, particularly young people. If latex production is to increase, more youngsters need to enter the sector,” N Hari said.

Online platform for tappers, growers
The Rubber Board is now preparing to launch INR Connect, an online platform intended to bring rubber tappers, plantation owners and labour-supplying agencies under one platform.

According to Hari, only tappers registered with the Rubber Board will be allowed to join the platform. The board will oversee service quality, transparency and security, while tapping charges will be negotiated directly between landowners and tappers or agencies.

The board expects the platform to encourage tapping on neglected rubber holdings and boost production. “The portal has been submitted for a security audit and is awaiting further approval,” Hari added.